In 2012, a couple of friends bonded over their shared love of gacha in Second Life®. In September of that year, they hosted the first round of The Arcade. Since then, the event has grown into the largest gacha event in Second Life.

This September marks our fifth year of The Arcade Gacha Events, and the round is bigger than ever. We have expanded ever-so-slightly, now hosting 108 individual machines.

What’s more – it wouldn’t be a party without presents! In the center of the Arcade you’ll find a giant birthday cake festooned with gifts from many of our brands. You can have them all!

It has been our honor to serve gacha fans all over the grid for five years running.

Click through each link to learn more exciting information about each of these brands!

The Arcade Gacha Events returns onSeptember 1st. We hope to see you then!

]]>Spotlight on The Arcadehttp://thearcadesl.com/spotlight-on-the-arcade/
Wed, 31 May 2017 05:04:13 +0000http://thearcadesl.com/?p=6047“The second you land at The Arcade, you are immersed in the experience. You are still gathering yourself, waiting for the world to come into visual focus. You hear the surf and sounds of the shore. You turn toward the shriek of seagulls and see the wide, welcoming pier inviting you toward a wedding-cake pavilion lit with neon-bright splashes of brilliant lights over a vintage light bulb marquee that spells out The Arcade. As you near the welcoming open-air entrance you are greeted by Archibald Gachum, a fisherman dressed in a yellow slicker and ready for a Nor’easter. You hear the music as you approach. The jangly, old-fashioned organ grinder competes with the raucous sound of arcade machines whirring, beeping, blooping, pinging, ponging, and chiming — announcing that this is a place where people win, suggesting you may have already won just by being here.”

So begins the cover story of the May 2017 issue of Spotlight magazine, focusing on The Arcade. In the article, you’ll learn the origins of the Arcade, and a bit about its owners, Octagons Yazimoto, Katharine McGinnis, and Emery Milneaux. Also, read about The Arcade from the focus of designer Ashleey Andrew of Garbaggio, blogger Neva Saljan, and Arcade shopper, Hendrix Portal.

Click through each link to learn more exciting information about each of these brands!

The Arcade Gacha Events returns on June 1st. We hope to see you then!

]]>Take home our carousel!http://thearcadesl.com/take-home-our-carousel/
Fri, 26 May 2017 21:51:41 +0000http://thearcadesl.com/?p=5968By overwhelming demand, we have added something very special to our souvenir stand: the Arcade carousel music box.

When the Arcade first opened, Second Life designer Anya Ohmai created for the Arcade a most wonderful carousel. It has brightened our entrance and delighted visitors ever since. A few rounds later, a desktop version was presented to our volunteers and staff, further sparking interest in this unique item.

Earlier this year, The Arcade worked with Anya to craft a new version of her distinctive carousel design, leading to the creation of a newly-crafted music box version complete with materials, a music box base, music by Torley, and spinning action. It’s a work of art, and a special part of The Arcade, that you can take home with you.

You’ll find the carousel at our souvenir stand, just to the left of the entrance to the Arcade. While there, consider also picking up a shirt, a wristband, a lanyard and pin, or even our June 2017 commemorative mugs and plate, and checking out the rest of the Arcade’s delights, both big and small.

Here’s your chance to experience the event lag-free on The Arcade, The Arcade 2 and, The Arcade 3 simulators, 4 hours before everybody else! Only 50 passes will be sold, starting on Tuesday, February 21st at 5:00 PM SLT.

]]>One, two… three!http://thearcadesl.com/one-two-three/
Wed, 01 Feb 2017 07:04:55 +0000http://thearcadesl.com/?p=5470For the last year, the Arcade has had an exact duplicate available for our die-hard shoppers, making it that much easier to get into the event – but as the old “Schoolhouse Rock” song goes, three is a magic number!

Starting with our March 2017 round, the old “Gacha Galley” homestead will be sailing off, and The Arcade 3, a full-region duplicate just like The Arcade 2, will be taking its place. This will give you three options for shopping the full event, and should make it all the easier to get in and enjoy!

We look forward to seeing you at The Arcade, The Arcade 2, or The Arcade 3 soon! The Arcade returns on the 1st of March.

]]>A New Exhibit Showcasing Winners of The Arcade’s Photography Contesthttp://thearcadesl.com/a-new-exhibit-showcasing-winners-of-the-arcades-photography-contest/
Sun, 27 Nov 2016 22:01:16 +0000http://thearcadesl.com/?p=5387Since its first round in September of 2012, The Arcade has held a photography contest to highlight the incredible talent of their vendors and shoppers. Entries were encouraged to be “fun, nostalgic, quirky or dramatic,” and participants were instructed to include at least five items from The Arcade in their submissions. In the four years that followed, The Arcade received over 1,500 submissions throughout the contest’s run. The response was overwhelming, but round by round, The Arcade’s owners sifted through these amazing entries and winners were chosen based upon originality, technical excellence, composition, overall impact, and artistic merit. By the time the contest came to a close in October of 2016, 51 winners had been selected. Today, The Arcade invites you to celebrate these winners with an upcoming exhibit, aptly titled #WINNING.

The exhibit runs December 4, 2016 – January 15th, 2017 at The Vordun Museum and Gallery. The Vordun is an art and history museum within Second Life that provides a real-world gallery experience in a virtual setting. Using experience keys, audio tours, a variety of real life and Second Life art, and exhibits with original construction and design, The Vordun brings to Second Life a truly unique experience.